Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Volume 2 (137 page)

For a 6-cup baking dish (18 to 20 slices)

The
pâté
dish: a 6-cup
terrine
or baking dish (rectangular, round, oval) or bread pan

A pan of water

Sheets of pork fat to line
pâté
dish

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and place rack in middle level. Set
pâté
dish in pan to check water level: it should come ⅔ up outside of dish. Remove dish and place pan of water in oven. Line bottom and sides of
pâté
dish with strips of pork fat ⅛ inch thick. (See notes preceding this recipe as well as
illustrations
.)

1 lb. fresh pork fatback or fat from outside a loin roast (2 cups)

12 ounces liver (pork, beef, or calf) (1½ cups)

1 cup
rice
panade

A meat grinder

An electric mixer with large bowl

2 eggs

2 Tb Cognac

2½ tsp salt

Either
1 tsp
épices fines
;

Or
½ tsp pepper and big pinches of allspice, nutmeg, and cayenne

Optional: A 1-ounce truffle, minced, and its juice

Put the pork fat, liver, and rice
panade
through the finest blade of meat grinder and into the bowl. Beat in the rest of the ingredients. Sauté a spoonful and taste; correct seasoning as necessary. Turn mixture into
pâté
dish.

A piece of fresh pork fat to cover the meat

1 imported bay leaf

A branch of thyme, or ¼ tsp dried thyme

Sufficient aluminum foil to cover
pâté
with 1 inch extra all around

Cover with the fat, lay the thyme and bay leaf on top, and then the foil. Cover, and set in pan of water in
oven. Bake for 1¼ to 1½ hours or longer;
pâté
is done at a temperature of 160 degrees, or when juices and fat surrounding
pâté
are clear yellow with no trace of rosy color (press
pâté
with a spatula to check on this).

A cover for the dish, or a pastry sheet and weight

Useful: a meat thermometer

When done, remove
pâté
dish from pan, discard water, and return dish to pan. Cover with board, or pan and weight (to press meat together and prevent air pockets) and let cool to room temperature. Remove board and weights and refrigerate.

Serving

Pâté
will improve in flavor after 2 to 3 days. Cut slices ⅜ to ½ inch thick directly from dish; or heat bottom of dish gently, run a knife around between
pâté
and dish, and unmold on a serving plate or board.

Storage

Pâté
will keep nicely for 8 to 10 days under refrigeration. It may be frozen, and results are more successful for liver
pâtés
than for meat
pâtés.

VARIATIONS

Pâté de Campagne

[Pork and Liver
Pâté
with Veal or Chicken]

These
pâtés
vary in content and flavor throughout France, but always contain pork liver, pork, and sometimes other meats, as well as pork fat, a binder, and the usual seasonings. The following formula is one we like; whether you serve it in its baking dish or unmold it, the name is always
pâté de campagne
and never
terrine.

For a 6-cup baking dish

8 ounces (1 cup) fat-and-lean fresh pork (such as shoulder butt or loin, or the
chair à saucisse
)

8 ounces (1 cup) fresh pork fatback or fat from outside a loin roast

8 ounces (1 cup) raw lean veal, or raw chicken meat

8 ounces (1 cup) liver (pork, beef, or calf)

½ cup rice
panade

⅓ cup minced onions cooked until soft in 2 Tb pork fat or butter

1 egg

2 Tb Cognac

1 medium clove of garlic, mashed

Either
1 tsp
épices fines
;

Or
½ tsp pepper and big pinches of ground allspice, thyme, bay leaf

½ tsp additional pepper

1 Tb salt

Be sure all gristle, bones, skin, or other extraneous matter have been trimmed from meat before weighing. Pass meats, fat, and liver through finest blade of meat grinder along with the
panade.
Beat in rest of ingredients. Sauté a spoonful and taste. Correct seasoning as necessary. Pack into a fat-lined dish, and bake as in the Master Recipe.

Pâté de Foie et de Porc en Brioche

[Pork and Pork-liver
Pâté
Baked in
Brioche
Dough]

This is a
pâté
baked in
brioche
dough in a round pan. It is always dramatic because the dough rises luxuriously and the whole effect is one of effulgent
gourmandise.
The
pâté
is served cold, and it must be baked at least a day ahead of serving so that the meat will settle, which means that you will probably need to make the dough a day before baking.